CCSN shows ambition with ‘Tommy’ rock opera

Kirk Baird

Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2000 | 8:07 a.m.

There's something very comfortable about "Tommy."

First a rock opera on album, then a movie and now a musical, the story of the deaf, dumb and blind kid is familiar to many.

Which might be the performance's biggest weakness: It assumes the audience knows the story by heart. And by doing so, the plot has a tendency to jump confusingly forward -- especially in the second act -- eschewing character development in the process.

But there are many things right with the musical, most of which the Community College of Southern Nevada's Cheyenne campus production finds.

Running Friday, Saturday and Sunday -- its final week -- at the Nicholas J. Horn Theatre, "The Who's Tommy" (as it is billed) has a strong cast, lively choreography and a stellar stage set.

It all adds up to a production ambitious enough to rival that of many larger shows on the Strip.

The story concerns that of Tommy (Keith Dotson) who withdraws into the self-isolation of the deaf, dumb and blind after witnessing the murder of his mother's lover.

Tommy's parents, Captain Walker (Arthur Newton III) and Mrs. Walker (Satomi Hofmann), try various medical procedures to cure him, to no avail.

Eventually it's discovered that Tommy, at age 10, has a gift for playing pinball, despite his handicaps, which makes him a semi-celebrity in town.

It isn't until several years later, through his mother, that Tommy is freed from his demons and regains his hearing, speech and sight. Word of his miraculous healing spreads and he becomes a media darling, a Christ-like figure whom the world turns to for inspiration.

It's at this point, perhaps, that the story is at its most poignant. Written in 1969, the idea of a media-created sensation is even more relevant, especially given the amount of overnight celebrities created through the Internet and various electronic outlets, such as cable news networks and daytime talk shows.

And the CCSN production helps convey that, with six large-screen TVs housed underneath a canopy of monitors. It's a feast for the eyes, as there's almost always something on the video screens -- from photographs to symbolic imagery.

But the set never upstages the production.

With lively choreography -- especially the finales of both acts as well as a hospital sequence -- there is as much happening on stage as on the video displays.

As for the cast, director Philip Shelburne has assembled a 24-member group comprised of both professionals and students that imbues the musical with an infectious energy. It's difficult -- if not impossible -- not to get caught up in the story, only to notice that the roughly 90-minute production has quickly come to an end.

It helps that the show is blessed with mostly strong vocal work -- particularly among its leads.

Perhaps the only complaint about the production is that some set changes seemed to take too long, temporarily slowing the show's momentum.

Given how large the set is, however, this is easily overlooked.

Overall, "The Who's Tommy" is a nice piece of musical production, with enough visual appeal and gimmickry to attract a generation raised on MTV.

The fact it appears on stage at a junior college only makes it that much more impressive.